Captain Marcus Wellington Murdock: Civil War Veteran, Farmer, and Railroad Promoter of Venice Center - Part I

The Murdock Family of Venice Center, Cayuga County, New York

Joshua and Eunice Moore Murdock

Joshua Murdock's Youth

Joshua Murdock was the son of Samuel Murdock, Jr. and Mary Wight. Samuel had purchased land at Hartford, Windsor Co., Vermont in 1761 but never resided there. In 1773, however, Samuel bought property at Wilmington, Windham Co., Vermont when Joshua was 10 years old, and the family removed there the following year. Joshua presumably spent the later part of his youth at Wilmington where his father was a member of the Committee of Safety in 1778 (1).

Joshua Murdock's Revolutionary War Service

Joshua was a veteran of the Revolutionary War, serving with the militia in Vermont in 1780 and 1781. On 11 October 1780 he was called out for an "alarm," serving in the Company of Captain Samuel Robinson with Colonel Samuel Herrick's Regiment. The duration of this service is not known. Joshua appears in Revolutionary War records on three occasions in 1781, sometimes with his surname spelled "Mordock." He is listed on 21 May 1781 on a "Return" for ammunition, still with Captain Samuel Robinson's Company at Bennington, Vermont. Pay records, perhaps from later in 1781, show Joshua receiving  £1. 4s. 6d. (£. s. d. = pounds shillings pence) on one occasion and £1. 9s. 4d. on another for wages, rations, and travel. On the latter occasion, Joshua marched 60 miles. These pay records are for Captain Nelson's Company, Vermont 6th Regiment of Militia.

Bennington Merchant and Granville Farmer

 Samuel Murdock, Jr. is supposed to have removed from Wilmington to Rutland, Rutland Co., Vermont in 1784 (1, 2), at which time Joshua took up the clothing business at Bennington, Bennington Co., Vermont where he remained for several years. Joshua subsequently took up farming, which profession he continued for the rest of his life. Whether Joshua turned to farming before leaving Bennington or not until he removed to Granville, Washington Co., New York is not clear.

During his time at Bennington or later at Granville, Joshua must have encountered Eunice Moore of Athol, Worcester Co., Massachusetts whom he married on 7 February 1787. Sources differ as to the exact location of the marriage, either Athol or nearby Royalston, Worcester Co., Massachusetts. Joshua's residence was already listed as Granville at the time of his marriage to Eunice, which indicates that he likely removed from Bennington in 1786 or earlier.

The 1790 census records Joshua at Granville with two females in his household, almost certainly Eunice and their eldest daughter, Pamelia Murdock. The family removed to Bristol, Addison Co., Vermont by 1791 (2).

Pioneer Settlers of Venice

The story of the Murdock family in Venice Center is in many respects the story of Venice Center itself and begins with the pioneer couple, Joshua and Eunice Moore Murdock, as described in History of Cayuga County, New York 1789-1879.

Joshua Murdock, who was born in Windham, Connecticut, October 9th, 1763, removed with his father's family to Bennington, Vermont, where he spent two years in the clothing business. He afterwards followed the vocation of a farmer. In 1787, he married Eunice Moore, of Athol, Massachusetts, and settled at Granville, Washington county, and thence in the fall of 1800, he removed to Venice Center, and built a log house on the northeast corner of lot 62, where the State road crosses Salmon Creek. He took up 250 acres on which he moved his family in winter of 1801, bringing with him horses, sleigh, two yoke of oxen and an ox sled 'wood shod,' seven cows, household furniture and a year's provisions.
-- Elliot G. Storke, History of Cayuga County, New York 1789 - 1879 (Syracuse, Onondaga Co., NY, D. Mason & Co., 1879), Internet Archive <http://archive.org/>, Town of Venice - Early Settlements; pp. 434-435
https://archive.org/details/historyofcayugac00stor/page/434/mode/2up

The preceding account does not reflect the move of Joshua, Eunice and daughter from Granville to Bristol ca. 1791 given in (2); thus, Joshua and Eunice probably began their move to the Finger Lakes from Bristol. Joshua's removal from Bristol actually was to the Town of Scipio, Cayuga Co., New York because the Town of Venice was not erected until 30 January 1823 when it was taken off from Scipio. It may be that Joshua arrived slightly earlier than indicated above because he appeared with his family in the 1800 federal census of Scipio. This census was referenced to 4 August 1800, but census takers had 9 months to carry out their task, making it difficult to know whether or not Eunice and the children were actually present with Joshua in 1800. Regardless, the entire family must have made the arduous trek with their household goods, supplies, and livestock early in 1801 as described.

The statement that Joshua built his log house "where the State road crosses Salmon Creek" is a bit confusing. Today we would associate the "State road" with State Route 34, which passes through Venice Center in a north-south direction but does not cross the mainstem of Salmon Creek. Perhaps the present-day Poplar Ridge Road-Long Hill Road connecting Moravia and Aurora, which does cross Salmon Creek, was intended.

History of Cayuga County, New York 1789-1879 further describes how Joshua developed his property and formed the nucleus of what would become Venice Center.

January, 1801, Joshua Murdock built a log barn on the site of W. R. Cannon's store. In 1802, he built a saw-mill on the south-east corner of his 250 acres. In 1816, he built the family residence, now occupied by his grandson, M. W. Murdock. He died on the old homestead December 13th, 1845, aged 82; and his wife, August 21st, 1839, aged 78.
-- Elliot G. Storke, History of Cayuga County, New York 1789 - 1879 (Syracuse, Onondaga Co., NY, D. Mason & Co., 1879), Internet Archive <http://archive.org/>, Town of Venice - Early Settlements; p. 35
https://archive.org/details/historyofcayugac00stor/page/434/mode/2up

The location of Joshua's log barn was in 1879 W. R. Cannon's store, shown as T. Cannon's store on an 1875 map of Venice Center. I was unable to locate where the original sawmill was constructed without knowledge of Joshua's homestead boundary, but it's placement in the southeast corner of the homestead probably meant that it was well away from Salmon Creek and powered by means other than water. I believe Joshua's 1816 house yet stands over 200 years later on northeast corner of State Route 34 and Long Hill Road adjacent to the Venice Enterprises trucking company, which must make it one of the oldest houses in Venice.

Joshua and Eunice Moore Murdock are buried in the Venice Center Cemetery, which in the past was occasionally referred to as the Murdock Cemetery.

Children of Joshua Murdock and Eunice Moore

History of Cayuga County, New York 1789-1879 lists the children of Joshua Murdock and Eunice Moore.

His [Joshua Murdock's] family then consisted, besides his wife, of Pamelia, who married Samuel Beeman, and moved with him to Clarence, Erie county about 1808, where both died; Salmon, who died with his parents in Venice in 1815, unmarried; Mary, who married Hezekiah Murdock, and moved to Mesopotamia, Trumbull county, Ohio, where she died; Lydia, who married Wm. D. Ledger and removed to Lake county, Illinois, where she died; Huldah, who married Anson Baldwin of Royalton, Niagara county, where she died; and Ruby, who married Philip Reynolds, removed to Mesopotamia, Ohio, and subsequently went to live with her sons near Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, where she now resides. Lyman, another son, was born in Venice, August 8th, 1804, and lived on the homestead farm seventy-two years. He now resides in North Candor.
-- Elliot G. Storke, History of Cayuga County, New York 1789 - 1879 (Syracuse, Onondaga Co., NY, D. Mason & Co., 1879), Internet Archive <http://archive.org/>, Town of Venice - Early Settlements; p. 435
https://archive.org/details/historyofcayugac00stor/page/434/mode/2up

Pamelia's birth occurred 13 February 1789 at Granville prior to Joshua and Eunice's removal to Bristol. Their children born at Bristol were Salmon, 28 May 1791; Mary, 12 March 1793; and Lydia, 20 March 1795. Birth locations for Huldah and Ruby aren't documented. Lyman was born 8 August 1804 at present-day Venice (then part of Scipio) (2).

References

(1) Joseph Ballard Murdock, Murdock Genealogy:  Robert Murdock of Roxbury, Massachusetts and Some of His Descendants (Boston, Massachusetts, USA, C. E. Goodspeed & Co., 1925), Internet Archive <http://archive.org/>, pp. 29-30 https://archive.org/details/murdockgenealogy00murd/page/28/mode/2up

(2) Joseph Ballard Murdock, Murdock Genealogy: Robert Murdock of Roxbury, Massachusetts and Some of His Descendants (Boston, Massachusetts, USA, C. E. Goodspeed & Co., 1925), Internet Archive <http://archive.org/>, p. 56 https://archive.org/details/murdockgenealogy00murd/page/56/mode/2up